Zimbabwe: No Unilateralism in GPA - PM

Prime Minister Tsvangirai, the MDC President, has said there is no provision for unilateralism in calling for elections or dissolving the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and the inclusive government.

Responding to questions from MPs during a Parliamentary session last week, President Tsvangirai said if any party wanted to break away from the GPA it would cause a constitutional crisis. "If any party wishes to break away, it causes a constitutional crisis especially if it is Zanu PF or MDC because it means that government is no longer consummated," he said.

He was responding to a question from Hon. Settlement Chikiwinya, the MP for Mbizo who had enquired on the scenario of a party pulling out of the inclusive government and the calling of elections."I hope it is a scenario that will not obtain in this country. It is not necessary. As we move towards elections, SADC is very clear that it has drawn up a roadmap.

"As long as the parties are working together within the 19th Amendment, there is no way you can short change that arrangement and negotiate another, unless you open another arrangement," said President Tsvangirai.

He said elections must be conducted if they are going to be legitimate and credible. "They must be conducted in terms of the agreement and there is no provision for unilateralism. No one can wake up one morning and say I have dissolved the GPA, I have dissolved the GNU and therefore, we are going for elections.

"There is nothing like that, unless you want to reduce this country to another situation where we are at each other's throats. It is not necessary," he said. He said contrary to reports from some Zanu PF politicians that they will call for unilateral elections this year, their leader Robert Mugabe did not support that position at the just ended SADC Troika summit on Zimbabwe held in Luanda, Angola.

"He has never called and he has no intention of calling for an election unilaterally. We do not want a situation where somebody just pulls up one morning and says he is calling for an election.

"We have to agree and especially having come up from SADC and having been guided by SADC, the facilitator must also agree and we have to agree amongst ourselves when the elections will be held.

"Why would you want to short change the other people? Just go to an election which we have all agreed to, fight it out and whoever wins will run the country," he said.

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